Olive Leaf

Due to my love for cooking and my Italian heritage, I have made it my personal mission to be a connoisseur of olive oils from around the world.

I have found that while most olive trees are native to Mediterranean regions, they are now also cultivated in similar climate zones in the Americas. The extraction of olive oil from an olive has become an art form in many regions around the world. The uniqueness of this process determines the quality, flavor, and price of the oil.

When it comes to the olive tree, however, extraction processes do not stop with just the olive.

Medicinal Use of the Olive Leaf

The leaf of the olive tree is utilized in the botanical community for medicine. Evidence of olive leaf’s medicinal use dates back over 3,000 years when it was used by ancient Egyptian and Mediterranean cultures to treat a variety of health conditions. As well, to both the Greek and Romans, the olive branch was a symbol of peace.

The olive tree (Olea europaea) is an evergreen that grows to approximately 10 metres (nearly 33 feet) in height. The small, leathery leaves are a grayish-green color on top, while the underside contains fine white hairs.

The leaves can be gathered throughout the year to make medicine; however, like any botanical, there is always a peak time of year when Nature defines a medicinal quality of a plant to be at its highest natural concentration.

Immune Support and Antioxidant

Many scientific studies have explored the constituents of olive leaf as well as the role that olive leaf can play in certain disease states. The primary medical constituent contained in olive leaf is believed to be the polyphenolic fraction oleuropein. It was first isolated in 1908 and has since demonstrated an ability to support immune function and offer potent antioxidant protection.

Olive leaf is commonly used to support the body while fighting:

• Colds and flu
• Yeast infections
• Lingering viral infections such as Epstein-Barr disease, shingles and herpes

Helps Support Heart Health

Olive leaf, much like olive oil, is also good for the heart. Olive leaf has been shown to reduce low-density lipoproteins (LDL), also known as bad cholesterol. The cholesterol-lowering effects of olive leaf extracts are thought to come from oleuropein, in part due to its antioxidant activity.

Researchers have also found that olive leaf lowers blood pressure and increases blood flow by relaxing the arteries.
Studies on hypercholesterolemic rats have shown that olive leaf extracts are more effective at lowering cholesterol than pure oleuropein. This implies that a synergistic effect occurs between oleuropein and other substances within the leaf.

This synergy is not unique to olive leaf. It is a greater problem in the botanical medicine natural product industry when companies spend so much time trying to isolate out a specific compound and, in the process, lose the other important phytochemicals that are naturally occurring in many botanicals.

Supplements

Olive leaf can be taken in the following forms:

• Liquid concentrate
• Dried leaf tea
• Powder
• Capsule — dry or liquid extract

The fresh-picked leaf liquid extracts are quickly gaining popularity due to the broader range of healing compounds they contain. These liquid extracts are also commercially available in liquid extract capsules for increased compliance.